Locking device for railroad-rails



(No Model.). 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. RIGBY. LOCKING DEVICE FOR RAILROAD RAILS.

No. 469,921. Patented Mar. 1,1892.

(N ooooo 1. 3 sheet ssssss t 2.

J. RIGBY. GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG ILROAD RAILS- No.469,921. M PateritedMaJr. 1,1892.

(No Model.) I a Sheets- Sheet 3.

J. RIGBY.

LOOKING DEVIOE FOR RAILROAD RAILS. N0.'46'9,921. Patented Mar. 1, 1892.

WIT/VESSES: V INVENTOH @i M l I 4 ATTORNEY.

\ vice.

I UNITED l STATES PATENT OFF CE.

JAMES RI'GBY, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

LOCKING DEylCE FOR RAILROAD-RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,921, dated March 1, 1892.

Application filed November 28, 1891. Serial No. 413.389. (No model.)

To dZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES RIGBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of WVayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Looking Devices for Railroad- Rails; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 7 y

This invention relates to a locking device for securing the ends of railroad-rails.

The object of my invention is to provide a locking device which is simple in construction and effective in operationa I device which can be readily applied to the ends of the rails and conveniently detached therefrom when it is desired to remove and replace a rail.

' An especial object of myinventionis to provide a lock which shall prevent undue wear and vibration at the ends of the rails, which shall securely hold the ends together in ,perfect alignment and prevent spreading, and also which shall deaden or prevent much of the noise and clatter due to thepassage of the wheels over the adjacent ends of the rails.

In laying railroad-rails it is important to provide a lock which will not only securely hold the ends of the rails together, but one which can be quickly placed in position and can be conveniently removed when occasion arises for removing a rail, and by my improved.

look I secure these advantageous results.

The matter constituting my invention will be defined in the claims.

I will now describe my invention in detail by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the adjacent ends of two railroad-rails connected together by means'of my locking de- Fig. 2 represents a similar view of the parts detached and on an enlarged scale for better showing their construction. Fig. 3 represents a top plan view showing the look and rails in position. Fig. 4t represents a perspective view of the lock, of modified form. Fig. 5 represents a vertical transverse section on the lines 00 00, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 represents a vertical section, and Fig. 7 a side elevation, of modified forms of my invention.

Verylittle departure from the construction and arrangement of the railway-rails and fishplates now in use is required in applying my locking device, and therefore little expense is incurred in securingthe advantages of my locking device. The ends of the rails A require no work upon them excepting the cutting of a slot or tenon a from the upper face down into the head of the rail, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. This slot may be readily formed by boring and milling out the material in a well-known manner, and is preferably made with acurved end and bottom, as shown.

My lockin g device His preferably composed of a head D, correspondingin shape and crosssection to the head of the rail, a stem or web 'E, corresponding in height and thickness to the web 0 of the rail, and a foot or base F, corresponding to the foot B of the rail, so that the look when in position neatly registers with all parts of the rail and makes a neat and substantial joint. The head D is provided with one or two longitudinal lugs or tenons d, extending on a line with the rails and adapted to fit in the slots or mortises a in the heads of the rails and when in posi tion be flush with the top, thereof, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The foot F of lock H is provided on each side with a locking-flange F, projecting longitudinally on each side of such foot and having downwardly-curved outer 1 edges f, adapted to overlap and embrace-the:

The locking device H is preferably madeot cast-steel and maybe formed in a single casting. After the casting is removed from the mold it is preferably placed in a die and properly forged to give it strength and durability. Some of the locking devices H may be made with a single projecting lug or tenon d on one side only of the head D, as shown in Fig. 4;,

too 

